Adaptability is a desirable feature in some building designs, especially where space is constrained or quick or frequent adjustments are needed. While home or office furnishings are easily manipulated, building structures are more difficult to change. However, one method that has been successfully used to accomplish this purpose is a retractable, or roll-up, wall. Retractable walls can fill purposes such as allowing room sizes to be quickly adjusted.
A typical retractable wall includes one or more sheets of flexible material that are wound about a roller device of some sort, usually displaced above an entryway such that the material can be deployed downward over the entryway on demand, creating an impassible barrier. Most retractable wall systems also include a guide track system on either side of the wall that secures the retractable wall in place as it rises and lowers. A typical guide track system involves a device with a channel into which an edge of the retractable wall is inserted. Often, the edge of the retractable wall will have a zippered edge, to hold the edge in place within the channel.
The benefits gained through the flexibility of the retractable wall also come with a significant disadvantage, however. Although the wall material can flex to hold some amount of force exerted on the wall, in the event that a great deal of force is exerted on the flexible wall material, the wall material may tear, causing expensive damage to the system. This problem can be solved if the guide track system allows the wall to disengage from the channel before the wall tears. Unfortunately, the few guide track systems that currently allow the wall to disengage from the guide track system when excessive force is applied are unnecessarily complex or rigid. For example, one system has a complex spring system that helps the wall to flex.
In light of the foregoing, what is needed is a simple guide track system that allows the retractable wall to disengage from the system when excessive force is applied. The guide track system should be flexible, easily constructed, and aesthetically pleasing.